Inflation is a tax
President Biden’s “Build Back Better” infrastructure bill that he claims will pay for itself is a hoax.
He claims there will be no tax increase to pay for the $2 trillion bill while printing monies to borrow the dollars to pay for the disastrous bill.
There is a tax which will not require legislation if the bill passes. The tax is in the form of inflation. The entire population will pay through the increased cost of everything. For example, say the cost of goods and services to doubles, an item that is priced at $1 is now $2. The dollar is now worth 50 cents, the other half is the hidden tax.
In addition, here in Hawaii, we pay an excise tax on the purchase price of everything we buy, and that tax is doubled. It’s tax on top of tax, the salaries earned and personal savings now worth half as much due to the doubling of prices. It’s a perpetual tax; print more money, increase inflation that everyone pays, which is taxation without legislation.
The cost of goods has already spiked. Just look at the prices in local markets.
James Igawa
Keaau
One mile!
What a quagmire one mile of Kalanianaole Avenue has become because of the inefficiency on the part of the project manager in the planning and execution of the road improvements that were deemed necessary to accommodate the tourists that are brought to Hilo by cruise ships.
The Dec. 19 Tribune-Herald provided us with the failures that have plagued the community of Keaukaha for a decade because of extreme malfeasance at the hands of incompetency by employee or employees that this project was assigned to.
Taxpayers should be told who will be held responsible for this mess.
One would think that all the parties who had an interest in the planning of the road improvement would have been a part of the planning process of this project. Perhaps it would save time and prevent the need for change orders, thus saving taxpayers hard earned money.
Not to be facetious, but please don’t undertake the entire road improvement, because if one mile is taking a decade, the rest of the road would take a century. My opinion.
Floyd Eaglin
Hilo
Roundabouts
A recent letter to the editor lamented the fact that the construction of some of the roundabouts on Highway 130 has been postponed by the Department of Transportation.
Since the stated purpose of small roundabouts is to slow traffic, I believe that goal has already been reached as the roundabout at Ainaloa often has traffic backed up for miles. Slowing traffic further seems unnecessary.
A roundabout at Shower Drive might be a good idea if the purpose is to improve traffic flow by constructing a large-diameter roundabout.
Harry C. Davis
Keaau